Last.



G. CLAUSING.

LAST.

APPLICATION FILED Anna. 1913.

1,085,668, Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

a E Y 1 "UNITED STATES i GEORGE CLAUSING, OF PORTSMOUTH, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE VULCAN" BOX TOE PROCESS 00., 0F PORTSMOUTH, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

LAST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3,1914.

Application filed April 23, 1913. Serial No. 762,984.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE CLAUSING; a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Portsmouth, in the county of Scioto 5 and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts, of which the following is a specification.

One of the objects of the invention is to produce a simple, strong and practical last which can be broken or flexed so as to facilitate the ready removal of the last from the shoe and so that the shoe during the removal of the last will not be marred, broken or pulled out of shape.

1 According to the present invention a last is constructed so that it will comprise toe and heel parts which are provided between them with a pair of main pivot bearing pins that extend transversely to the last. The toe and heel parts preferably bear directly against said pins and said pins are secured in place so that the heel part can swing relative to the toe part in order to break or shorten the last. Said toe and heel parts are held or secured together by a link that is directly connected at one end to the toe part and at the other end to the heel part by small pivot pinsorrivets that pass through the end portions of said link. The last is also provided with a spring which tends to maintain the last parts in unbroken'position. This spring is preferably a tension spring which is located in the bottom of the last below the center of thb main pivot pins. 7 As showing a specifidembodiment of the invention reference is made to the drawing forming a part of "this specification and in which- Figure 1 shows a vertical sectional view taken as on the plane indicated by the line 1 1 in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a view similar to 1, but in Fig. 2 the last is shown with the parts in the broken position. Fig. 3 is a plan view partially in section taken as on the plane designated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The last is designated by the reference a character A and comprises the forward or toe part B and the rear or heel part G. "In

1 it will be apparent that all-portion Z Y Z the formation of the last these two parts are has been removed from between the upper portion of the front and rear parts so that the parts can assume the shortened or broken position shown in Fig. 2. A hole is also bored at Y for the reception of the main pivot bea'ring pins D D which are secured in place on the heel part C as by the securing pins d(Z.

The forward part B- is provided with the vertically but longitudinally extending sawcut I) and the rear or heel part C is provided with a corresponding saw-cut c, and in these saw-cut portions there is located the connecting link E which issecured in place by the small pivot pins or rivets ee. This link E ispreferably a thin flat metallic strip which fits the saw-cut portions. The toe and heel parts B and C are also bored at 'F-F' to'provide a receiving space for the tension spring G which is secured in place by the rivets or pins g'g that pass through books or eyes at the ends of the spring. That portion of the bored opening F which is not required to provide for the receiving space of the spring G is filled with a suitable wooden plug H after the iprigg has been placed in the openings From an inspection of Fig. 1 it will be noted that the connecting link E is located so that a line passing through the center of the rivets ex-c will be located a slight distance below the center of the main pivot pins DD, and it will furthermore be noted that the spring G is provided withsuflicient tension therein to maintain the forward and heel parts of the last in the extended or unbroken position shown in said figure.

The spring Gmay be considered and therefore is referred to as one form of locking means for maintaining the heel and toe parts in proper position relative to each other when the last is in use or in other words when the parts occupy an unbroken or extended position. i

When the last is broken by forcing the parts against the pull of the spring, from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2,v a sliding action will take place between the toe part of the last and the pins D. When the last parts are in un-. broken position the line which passes through the centers of the rivets or link of the main pivot pins DD.

par

lid

In the last mentioned figure it will be ob? served that the spring G has been materially extended and tends to cause the parts to assume the normal or unbroken position relative to each other. As, however, the distance between the portions 6 and c of the link E are suiiiciently close together to cause a binding of thetoe and heel parts and the main bearing pins, said toe and heel parts cannot assume their normal position until a sliglit pressure is applied to overcome this binding or clamping effect. One of the rivet receiving portions of the link E is elongated as at e so that the parts can assume the position shown in Fig. 1. c p

The improvements herein set forth are not limited to the precise construction and arrangement shown and described and may be embodied in various forms and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention: i

l. A last having a grooved toe part and a heel part which are provided between them with horizontally and transversely extending main pivot bearing pins which are secured to the heel part and which slide in grooves in the'toe part when the heel part is moved relative to the toe part, the last also being provided with a link for connecting and holding the heel and toe parts together, one end of said link being directly connected by a pin or rivet to the toe part of the last and the other end of the link being directly connected to the heel part ofthe last by a pin or rivet, said link being located so that a line passing through the center of said rivets will be located a slight distance below the center of the main pivot pins when thehee-l and .toe parts are in the extended or unbroken position but which is located so that when the heeland toe parts assume the full broken position said line will be above the center. of the main pivot pins.

2. A last having heel and toe parts provided between them with pivot pins against which each part, of the last bears, the last being provided with a link having one end secured to the toe-- part and the other end secured to the heel part for connecting said parts together, said link being positioned so that a line passing through the center of the pivots which connect the ends of said link to the heel and toe parts will swing from below the centers of the pivot bearings between the heel and toe parts to above the center of said bearing, the heel and toe parts also having provided between them means which tend to maintain said parts in the extended or unbroken position when they are in said position.

3. A last having a vertically but transversely extending saw-cut which divides the last into the heel and toe parts, there being provided at the upper portion of the last a V-shaped opening whereby the heel portion ings against which said last parts press, the

heel and toe parts being connected together by a link which is secured at one end by a rivet to the toe part and at the other end by a rivet to the heel part, one of the openings in the link for the reception of the rivet being elongated or greater than the rivet passing therethrough whereby the last parts may assume a full broken position, there also beingprovided below said connecting link a tension spring which is secured at one end to the toepart of the last and secured at the other end to the heel part of the last.

4. A last comprising cooperating heel and toe parts hinged together so that the parts can swing in vertical. planes relative to each other, the last also being provided with a tension spring which is located in a longitudinally extending bored opening in each of said parts, one end of said spring being directly connected by a pin or rivet to the toe part of the last and the other end of the spring being directly connected by a pin or rivet to the heel part of the last, said spring being located below the pivot line of the hinge, the longitudinally extending bored opening in the heel part extending the full length 0f| said heel part and having the rear portion thereof plugged.

' 5., A last having cooperating heel and toe parts provided between them with main pivot pins against which said parts bear, the last being provided with a link having one end pivotally connected by means of a rivet or pin to the toe part and the other end pivotally connected by means of a rivet or pin to the heel part, one of the rivetreceiving openings in the link being greater than the rivet or pin therein whereby the last parts can assume a 'full broken position and means for maintaining said parts in extended or unbroken position when in said last mentioned position, the link being arranged so that when the last parts are in extended or unbroken position a line passing through the center of the link pivots will be-located below the center line of the main pivot bearing pins and so that when the last parts. are in broken position the line passing through the center of the link pivots will be located above the center line of the main pivot bearing pins.

6. A last having heel and toe parts provided between them with longitudinally and transversely extending main pivot bearing pins, the last being also providedwith a link for connecting and holding said heel and toe parts together, and a spring that is continuously under tension and connected to said heel and toe parts so that they will continuously be drawnagainst the main bearing pins, the spring also being arranged so that the heel and toe parts will be maintained in extended or unbroken position when in said position.

7. A last having heel and toe parts provided between them with pivot pins against which each of the last par-ts bear, the last being provided with a connecting link having one end pivotally secured to the toe part and the other end plvotally secured to the heel part for connecting said parts together,

said link being positioned so that a line passing through the center of the pivots which connect the said linkto the heel and toe parts will move from below the center of the pivot bearings between the heel and toe parts. to above the center of said bearings when the parts are moved from unbroken position to broken position.

This specification signed and witnessed this 17th day of April A. D. 1913.

GEORGE CLAUSING. Signed in the presence of WILLIAM J. BURKE, WILLIAM L. QUEBTEL. 

